Leave the negativity at the door: Safe Summer founder, Rico LaVelle, is strictly about peace and good vibes.

In case you missed it, players in the NFL have been kneeling during the U.S. National Anthem in protest of racism and injustice. However, Detroit artist and founder of the Safe Summer movement, took it a bit further by kneeling shortly after he sang the anthem at the Detroit Lions game.

Growing up in Detroit, Michigan, LaVelle lost a number of loved ones to death, prison and violence. In return, he decided to start a movement in efforts of preventing any further grief in his city, including his public agenda to stand up against racism.

“With it being a lot of crime and stuff going on in Detroit as we know it is, something gotta balance it out,” LaVelle said.

Rico’s start of balancing it all out was by kicking off an annual summer event, after his homies noticed negativity never followed when the artist was around. Now, a kickback and venues later, with plans of expansion, Rico just wrapped up his fourth annual event.

Safe Summer 2017 was held in the heart of downtown Detroit at the Bathtub Pub, was hosted by the city’s own, Jusque. Sponsors such as BMB Entertainment, 2M Digital, Pretty Girls Entertainment, and Jamarius James were all in attendance. In addition, there were dope artists and entertainers who traveled from Georgia, Mississippi and more, to support the movement.

“If bad happens every other day in the summer, on this day in particular when safe summer happens, we just want it to be peaceful,” Rico said.

Peaceful it was, as DJ Dre Scoop did his part by holding the booth down all night along with DJ Eries. They knew exactly what to do to maintain all good vibes, and everyone aligned. It was clear everyone in attendance had the same like-minded goal of Rico which is to, “change the image of Detroit.”

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Micah Kimberley is a Michigan State University graduate, home of the green and white! She is currently pursuing her dreams and passion in journalism remaining a lover of all things media, pop-culture, and red-carpet related.
Micah works as a writer and contributor for Tha Celebritea, as well as her most recent home, at EMCEE. As she stays on her journalism grind, she also grinds and dedicates her time to becoming a young entrepreneur.